Defining post–petroleum landscapes, for a return to the art of landscaping within the context of energy transition

For the past fifty years, abundant and affordable sources of energy have brought general prosperity to our lands. In terms of land use planning, the period has been marked by urban expansion, the development of transport infrastructures, intensive construction in rural areas and agribusiness. The collective strategy deployed via “Paysages de l’après pétrole” (Post-petroleum landscapes) advocates that energy transition can offer new opportunities for land use planning that is more attentive to local and energy resources, but also to accumulated know-how, cultural identities and development traditions. Such transition can consequently become an opportunity that promises to lead to newfound quality landscapes within each given territory.

The landscaping agency INITIAL is currently working on interpreting and defining the landscapes that will result from the “Afterres 2050” scientific project, initiated by Solagro. Over three different territories located within the Seine-Normandie basin, the agency is demonstrating how agro-ecological transition can provide a gateway towards landscaping quality and coherence for the French agricultural production system.

Odile Marcel

The philosopher and writer Odile Marcel has contributed towards the recent emergence of a new landscaping culture and towards its dissemination in the field of local planning and the agri-environment.
Joséphine Billey, Paule Pointereau and Lucie Poirier are all qualified landscape architects. In 2014, they created their own agency, INITIAL, in an aim to materialise their will to collectively create and innovate in landscape design.